World Men à la Mode

Chapter Twenty-eight - Gaudí

You were the last one to wake up for a change, not that you minded. It felt nice to sleep in a little later than everyone else in your room. Charlotte was just coming out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel to help it dry a little more. Lily was laying on her bed dressed and playing a game in her phone to pass the time. You quickly shuffled your way into the bathroom to take care of business. You came out with three minutes to spare before breakfast began.

        The three of you made your way to the dining room, meeting up with two other friends of yours along the way. The rest of the group was waiting at your usual table. Alfred had everyone get breakfast and enjoy it. Most of your friends and you were finished eating after a half hour and decided to relax while the rest finished their morning meal. You drank a second cup of coffee to help wake yourself up a little more as Alfred began explaining the events of the day.\

        "We have a similar set up to what we had in Greece when we left," he began. "Today is going to all be about Antoni Gaudí. We'll start off by exploring Park Güell to view Gaudí's best modernist art for most of the morning before heading over to the unfinished Sagrada Familia cathedral that began construction in 1882. We then have a tour scheduled lunch at a restaurant near there. Afterward, we'll check out Gaudí's Casa Milà, the last private residence that he ever designed. We then head not too far away to Casa Batlló, an apartment building. We won't be going in to Casa Milà, but we will be going into Casa Batlló. After that, we'll be coming back to the hotel for a little while before heading off to the airport to catch our flight to Paris, France. Our guide there will go with us to our hotel just outside of Paris so you guys and put all your bags in your rooms before he leads us into the outskirts of the city to have free time for dinner and shopping. When you go back to the hotel is up to you, but wake up is at six o'clock. We've got a fun filled day tomorrow, so make sure you're well rested!"

        After another half hour or so, the group headed on to the bus to take in some of Antoni Gaudí's best works. Antonio led the group through Park Güell and pointed out some of the masterpieces that were the most famous within the already famous attraction. You snapped some pictures along the way, once again deleting any blurry ones you found while on the bus ride to the Sagrada Familia cathedral.

        On the ride there, Antonio turned around in his seat, which was in front of yours, and handed you a slip of paper. You raised an elegant brow at him and unfolded it. It was a list of contact information for him. You looked back up at him and a small smile.

        "You know, if you ever want to come back again for an even better tour, don't be afraid to hit me up, chica. I'd be more than happy to have you stay at my house and cook for you so you don't have to waste money on a hotel or a restaurant."

        "That's really sweet of you, Toni."

        You tore off a small piece that he hadn't written on and took a pen out of your bag. You scrawled your information on it before handing it over to him. He gave you a bright smile and thanked you before turning back around in his seat. Samantha, who was sitting next to you, nudged you in the side with her elbow and grinned at you. You blushed bashfully and gave her shoulder a gentle shove in retaliation.

      You went inside the cathedral once there to check out what sections you were allowed in and then headed to have lunch with the group. It was a larger meal since you'd be eating later than usual, but that was okay since none of you seemed to mind. You then went on your merry way to Casa Milà and Casa Batlló. The group only got off of the bus for Antonio to explain the first building and some pictures before boarding the bus again and heading to Casa Batlló.

       Antonio noted that the two buildings had a similar feel to them in terms or architecture, which was only natural given who designed them. He led the group inside with Alfred following up the rear to make sure no one was left behind or got seperated. The Spaniard explained the different refurbishments the owners made to building throughout the years and its transition into a museum. After a few hours of touring, Antonio had the group back on the bus and headed back to the hotel to relax and pack their bags for the trip the the airport and then to Paris.

        He went with you all to drop you off at the airport. He gave everyone a big, warm hug and a small goodybag of snacks he thought you all would enjoy on your flight. He waved you off as you entered the luggage check-in line and headed out to go back to him home. Alfred stood behind you in line and tapped your shoulder.

        "So, you and Antonio, huh?" His voice held a tone of suggestion to it.

        "We're just friends, Alfred."

        "Mmhmm."

        You rolled your eyes and put the slip of paper from Antonio in your passport holder with some of the other papers from your previous tour guides. The lines moved slowly since it was later in the day, and your group nearly missed your flight because of it. Thankfully you didn't and were seated right before the safety procedures were gone over. You dug into your goodybag half way through your two hour flight, enjoying the candies and crackers Antonio had put into it.

        The plane landed once the two hours were up, and everyone was permitted to exit the plane in an orderly fashion. You grabbed your carry-on bag before filing out of your row of seats and into the aisle. Everyone regrouped just outside the exit and headed to the baggage claim to get their belongings. Just inside the airport near a small supermarket, you caught sight of a man with shoulder length blond hair, stubble, and blue eyes. He was dressed red skinny jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a pair of white tennis shoes. He waved at Alfred, who led you over to him.

        "Bonsoir! Welcome to France, my lovely ladies. My name is Francis Bonnefoy, and I will personally lead you around the beautiful city of love~"

~Author's Note~

DreamsForDays here! I'm sorry if this update feels a little rushed. I'm hoping that the next update will be longer than the past few have been. I'm also possibly going to try to do two days in each chapter soon since we're almost half way through the countries. That should be all for this update! Thanks for reading! Feedback in the comments is always appreciated! Until next time!